Sliding seat supporting means



1948. P. F. MASUCCI ET AL 2,446,185

SLIDING SEAT SUFPORTING MEANS Filed May 2, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheef 1 FlG.l

INVENTORJ' ZUAM/PD 204/4 A/VO P5727? E MASl/CC/ 1948. P. F. MASUCCI ETAL 2,446,135

' SLIDING SEAT SUPPORTING MEANS Filed May 2, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INWNTORS Zi /VAR 201/4 A/VD Pf 71 F HSZ/CC/ 3, 1948. P. F. MASUCCI ET AL2,446,185

' SLIDING SEAT SUPPORTING MEANS Filed May 2, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 BYh/M Patented Aug. 3, 1948 2,446,185 SLIDING SEAT surroarmc MEANS PeterF. Masucci a'ndLeonard Zola,

Brooklyn, N. Y. i i

Application May 2, 1945, serial n 591,476,

This invention relates to a chair forum in theatres and similar places,more particularly it relates to the type of chairs which are. set up inrows and have provisions which enable someone occupying the chair tomove the seat horizontally forward and backward in order to facilitatepassage of another person in front of the person seated on the chair.

An object of the invention is to render the moving mechanism for theseat of such a chair very simple and to make it easy for the seatedperson to move the seat forward and backward;

A further object of the invention is to make the chair simple and cheapin construction;

Another object is to have in a chair of "the type described only fewmovable parts;

A further object is to render the assembly of the chair as well asrepairs or exchange of single parts easy;

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in connectionwith the movable seat, for simple and effective means to stiifen thesingle rows of chairs placed one next to theother;

Another object is to arrange, in connection with themovable seat, formeans to insure unobstructed movement of theseat in curved rows ofchairs, as they are used in theatres, auditoriums and the like;

Another object is to arrange the chair sothat a person seated in therowbehind the chair is not disturbed through the movement of the seat infront nor able to interfere with such movement.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be hadbyreferring to the following descriptionand claims, taken inconjunction'with theaccompanying drawings which shall, however, *be inno way limitative but merely illustrative.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical center section through a chair according to theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of half a chair Withparts of the seat removed toshow the seat supporting mechanism;

Fig. 2a is a top view of two brackets;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the same chair;

Fig. 4 is a frontview with some parts broken away;

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section through a standard common to twoadjacent chairs showing a front view of -the seat supporting-means;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of "Figrl showing the front seat support;

Fig. 7 is a rear Viewof Fig. 6 seen as indicated byline lof Fig. '1

'7 Claims. (01. 155-115) Fig. 8. is a top view of several chairsarranged inarown Referring now to the drawings and especially to Fig. 1,the basic structure of the individual chair is formed by standards H andI2 which consist each of a single metal sheet cut to the proper shape.At the vertical edges of each standard a bent channel 1,3 and isattached to the standard ascan bestbe seen from Fig. 2. In Fig. l theleft side front channel has been removed to show thestandard.The"channels stiffen the standard, cover its sharp edges andserve also for the floorattachmentof the chair which forms, however;nopart of thisinvention; An arm rest I5 is attached to the topedge'ofeach standard which also covers the upper ends ofchannels l3 andM. j 5 'Fastened to each rear channel M by means of screws i9 is asidewinglfi (Fig.2). A curved metal part ll which serves as the supportingstructure-of the chair back is secured to the vertical rear edges of thetwo wingsifi. As can be seen from Fig. 1, part I1 is extendeddownwardbeneath the lower edge of the seat described hereafter. Upholstery H3 issecured to the curved metal part 41. The upholstery ends at a distanceabove the lower edge of part ll. "It can be seen fromFig. '2 that withina row ofchairs one wing back of the chair at the proper elevation is themovable seat generally designated with 20. The

, support for each seat comprises four brackets,

two of which are secured to the inside of each standard. Eachabracket isformed from two metal strips 21 and 22; Strip 2.2, as :can best beseenfrom Figsml 'andw5, is horizontally disposed and secured. for instancewelded with. its bent up end tonne of the standards H, [2. The free endof strip 2?. is supported. by strip 2.! whichis secured withone end tostrip 22, bent downwards and outwards under e5 degrees and secured withits-other end to standard or l2. Thus the two. strips form together abracket for" the firm support of the. seat. As shown in Fig. 5,corresponding brackets are arranged on the other side of the standardforthe support of the next following seat in the row of chairs. While inthe actual chair equal supporting means or brackets are arrangedopposite each other on each standard, Fig.5 shows on the right side afront bracket and on the "left side a rearbracket. 1

Seat ill-itself comprises a metal pan 23 "which back of the char.

forms the main supporting part of the seat proper. Welded into the pannear its four corners are supporting angles 24, 25 which serve in theembodiment shown with their horizontal upper flanges 26 as supports fora cushion frame 21. Mounted on the cushion frame are springs 28 of anyconventional type which support the seat upholstery 29. The inside endsof the supporting angles 24, 25 are bent up to form vertical flanges 30,3|. As can best be seen from Figs, 6 and '7 of the drawings, a verticalslot 32 is provided in each of these flanges, each slot opening towardsthe upper end of the flange and being semicircular at its bottom end.Each slot 32' accommodates one end of a round guide rod 33 which. iswelded to the semi-circular bottom end of the slot. From Fig. 1 it canbe seen that each of the two rods 33 is supported in one front and onerear angle 24 and 25 respectively so. that each rod extends in thedirection in which the seat moves, that is substantiallyparallel to thestandards of the chair. Of course, there are many other possibilitiesfor securing the guide rods to the seat pan.

Rods 33 are slidably supported in fittings which are mounted on thebrackets described before and best shown in Fig. 2a. In the embodimentshown, fitting 34 is mounted on each of the two front brackets. Thefitting consists of a square part 35 with a boring 35a and a threadedlug 36. The latter is projecting downward through a slot 31 (Fig 2) inthe horizontal strip 22 of each front bracket and held there in positionby a nut 38 and washer 39., The front bracket and fitting are shown onthe right hand. side of Fig. 5.

The fitting 34 is held in such a position that its boring is disposed inthe direction of the seat movement. An oil impregnated bushing 40 isprovide in each fitting, the opening of which allows for slidablesupport of rod 33. Slot 3'! in strip 22 is disposed perpendicular to thedirection of rod 33 and allows for a certain amount of lateraladjustment of the fitting. This is important in order to adjust thefitting so that the seat isin the proper position relative to thestandards and the back of th chair to assure an undisturbed movement ofthe seat towards and away from the When the chairs are arranged in acurved row it is necessary to arrange the standards so that eachconsecutive standard is slightly displaced out of its position parallelto the preceding standard. In this case it is of special advantage toprovide for means for adjustment of the direction of the guide rods.

Two similar fittings 4| are supported by the horizontalstrip 22 of thetwo rear brackets one of which is shown on the left hand side of Fig. 5.Each fitting 4! comprises again a square upper part '42 equipped with anoil impregnated bushing 40 in which each of the rods 33 is slidablysupported. The lug or shaft 43 of fitting 4| has no threads but isrotatably supported in a circular hole 44 of strip 22 (Fig. 2) andsecured in the hole by a cotter pin 45 inserted in a boring of the lug.The loose support of fittings 4! makes it possible to adjust guide rods33 in slots 31 and maintain proper alignment of the front and rearfittin of each guide rod.

A slot 46 is provided in the bottom of the seat pan 23 under andparallel to each of the guide rods (Fig. 2). These slots form thenecessary clearance for the fittings 34 and 4| during the fore and aftmovement of the seat A fibre bushing 41 is arranged at each end ofeachrod 4 33 close to the supporting angles to form a smooth end stopfor the seat movement.

In Fig. 1 the seat is shown in full lines in its forward position. Itsrear position is indicated by a dot-dashed line 48. In the embodimentshown, the seat is adapted to move for about five and one half inchesbetween its extreme forward and rear position which provides for amplespace for a person passing in front of the seat.

' occupying the chair, the seat can be moved forward or backward. When aperson is comfortably seatedand leans back in the chair, the seat willautomatically move into its foremost position. However, when anotherperson wants to pass in front of the chair, the seated person willautomatically push the seat back with his body, so that the, seat willslide into its rearmost position and will be held there until the seatedperson relaxes again, a a

The oil impregnated bushings in which thegu'id rodsare running and thefiber washers at the ends of the guide rods assure smooth, easy andnoiselessmovement of the seat. The wear. of the parts will be negligibleand no lubrication or any other attention is required for continuousfunctioning of the mechanism. In, case of break or wear of a part it isvery easy to replace any part or ,to quickly remove and replace theentire seat by simply taking off nuts 38 and cotter pins 45 and liftingtheseat from its supports. The fact that only the seat is movable,without the back of the chair, and that the back of the chair isextended downwards behind the seat, gives the assurance that a personbehind the chair cannot be inconvenienced by the moving seat nor can theperson move orsoil the seat in front with his feet. Fig 1 shows that theseat can freely slide backwards close to the back part I! due to thefact that the upholstery It ends above'theupper edge of the rear end ofthe seat.

Through its simple construction and the avoidance of any link or othercomplicated moving mechanisms except for the seat itself,the chairaccording to the invention is far superior to all chairs known up to nowwhich are designed for a similar purpose.

Fig. 8 shows a top view of .a number of chairs according to theinvention which are'combined in a slightly curved row. It can easily beunderstood from this view that the standards in an adjacent chair cannotbe arranged quite parallel to the standards of the neighbouring chairbut lie actually on the radii of the curve of the row. In such a casethe adjustability of the seat relative to the standards, as describedbefore,.is of great advantage.

Though the chair according to t e invention is primarily suited for usein a theatre or auditorium, there are many other possible uses for whichthis chair is adapted. For instance in dining cars or airplanes or intrains or buses where space is limited and two or more seats arearranged side by side, it is always a problem and great inconveniencefor a person to pass in front of a seated person. With conventionalseats, the seated person has usually to rise in order to let anotherperson pass. With the seat according to the invention, however, theseated person can easily move back and make enough room for the passingperson without any inconvenience for either one.

Many alterations and different combinations and modifications arepossible within the scope of the following claims. Especially theconstruction of the seat proper and the attachment of the supportingmeans lend themselves to many modifications as long as the basic idea isfollowed accordingto which the seat is slidably supported on thestandards of the chair.

What we claim is:

1. In a chair comprising two standards, a seat movable forward andbackward between said standards, said seat comprising a dish-shaped panforming the bottom thereof and serving as a support for springs andupholstery, two guide rods rigidly secured to said pan in the directionof the seat movement, said guide rods being positioned in the spacebetween the bottom of said pan and the springs and upholstery, a slot inthe bottom of said pan underneath and parallel to each of said guiderods, and supporting means adapted to slidably support said guide rods,each supporting means being attached to one of said standards andextending from said standard to a point beneath said seat and from thereupwards through the slot next to the standard to which the supportingmeans is attached, for slidable engagement with the guide rod locatedabove said slot.

2. In a chair having two standards and a seat supported between saidstandards and adapted to move forward and backward substantiallyparallel to said standards, two brackets secured to the inner face ofeach of said standards, a fitting supported by each of said brackets, aguide rod slidably supported in each of said fittings, said guide rodsbeing secured to said seat, one of said fittings for each guide rodbeing laterally adjustable on its supporting bracket, the second of saidfittings of each guide rod being rotatably supported in its bracket.

3. In a chair having a seat slidable back and forth in a substantiallyhorizontal plane and supported between two standards, the combination ofsupporting brackets secured opposite each other to the inside surfacesof said standards, sleeve and rod means slidably engaging each other,one of said means being mounted on a part of said seat, the other onebeing mounted on said brackets, at least one of said means beingangularly adjustable in the plane of movement of the seat so as toassure proper movement of said seat substantially parallel to saidstandards.

4. In a chair having a seat slidable back and forth in a substantiallyhorizontal plane and supported between two standards, the combination ofsupporting brackets secured opposite each other to the inside surfacesof said standards, sleeve means supported on said brackets, rod meansrigidly secured to a part of said seat, said sleeve means being mountedon said brackets for angular adjustment in the plane of movement of theseat so as to assure proper movement of said seat substantially parallelto said standards.

5. In a chair having a seat slidable back and forth in a substantiallyhorizontal plane and supported between two standards, the combination ofa pair of front supporting brackets and a pair of rearsupportingbrackets, one bracket of each pair being secured to the inside surfaceof one of said standards in opposite relation to the second bracket ofsaid pair on the other one of said standards, sleeve means supported onsaid brackets, rod means rigidly secured to a part of each pair beingsecured to the inside surface of one of said standards in oppositerelation to the second bracket of said pair on the other one of saidstandards, sleeve means supported on said brackets, rod means rigidlysecured to a part of said seat, said seat comprising a pan shapedsupporting bottom having two parallel slots therein extendingsubstantially in the direction of movement of said seat, said rod meansbeing arranged in said seat above and along said slots, said sleevemeans being mounted on said brackets and extending upwards through saidslots for slidable engagement with said rod means.

7. In a chair having a seat slidable back and forth in a. substantiallyhorizontal plane and supported between two standards, the combination ofsupporting brackets secured opposite each other to the inside surfacesof said standards, sleeve and rod means slidably engaging each other,one of said means being mounted on a part of said seat the other onebeing mounted on said brackets, at least one of said means beingangularly adjustable in the plane of movement of the seat so as toassure proper movement of said seat substantially parallel to saidstandards, a back rigidly connected with said standards and extendingdownward beneath the lower edge of said seat and having upholsterysecured to part of its front surface, said upholstery extending downwardonly to approximately the top edge of said seat so as to enable saidseat when sliding backwards on said sleeve and rod means to move withits rear end under said upholstery.

PETER F. MASUCCI. LEONARD ZOLA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 20,963 Meltzer Jan. 3, 1939252,533 Smith Jan. 1'7, 1882 931,821 Wanner, Jr Aug. 24, 1909 1,336,641Linke Apr. 13, 1920 1,473,945 Whiting Nov. 13, 1923 1,603,042 Geary Oct.12, 1926 1,659,484 Fagan Feb. 14, 1928 1,744,666 Newsom Jan. 21, 19301,923,892 Skillman Aug. 22, 1933 2,219,642 Whiteman Oct. 29, 19402,319,597 Hanson May 18, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date436,701 Great Britain Oct. 16, 1935

